Twisted D.I.R.T. Archive

Tool documentation

Practical guides for preserved track-making and game-modification tools.

Dillo Too 0.97.4

Download: DilloToo974.zip
Earlier preserved release: DilloToo97.zip
Game: Motocross Madness 2
Purpose: Advanced editing and packaging beyond Rainbow's Armadillo editor.

Version 0.97.4 is packaged as an MSI. The forum recommends uninstalling the preceding version first to keep Windows Installer records clean, although installing over it often worked.

Main capabilities recovered from release discussions

  • Move and rotate an entire spline.
  • Make fine or “micro” object movements.
  • Place objects against terrain and assist consecutive bale alignment.
  • Continue adjusting the vehicle path until it is saved.
  • Edit scenes, sky cubes, sounds, environment resources, and animations.
  • Import larger and higher-quality textures, including 32-bit TGA alpha.
  • Use the TwistedDIRT MXU resources, textures, trees, and multi-part VUE animation naming.
  • Open and pack Hi-Def projects.
  • Display/export POV-style displacement maps.
  • Generate object shadows and write diagnostic Pack.log output.
  1. Create a normal project in Armadillo and save it.
  2. Copy the complete project directory before opening it in Dillo Too.
  3. Open the .prj, inspect terrain, scene, spline, resources, and object lists.
  4. Make one class of change at a time and test an ENV in MCM2 frequently.
  5. Enable the pack log when textures, models, or resources fail.
  6. Preserve the last known-good project rather than repeatedly overwriting it.

Object placement

  • The automatic terrain orientation and consecutive-object alignment were designed especially for placing bales.
  • Some objects still need manual rotation or height adjustment on steep terrain.
  • In 0.97.3-era builds, keypad + and - move an object vertically.
  • If keyboard movement becomes stuck in a selector or edit box, switch away from the Objects tab and return. Later builds also included a button to restore keyboard focus.
  • A model that is consistently 90 degrees off was probably exported with incorrect source axes; fix the model when possible rather than compensating every placement.

Textures and transparency

Version 0.97 improved mipmap generation and supported larger/32-bit textures. For modernized transparency, use a 32-bit TGA alpha channel: black for transparent regions and white for opaque regions. The Don't convert Pink to alpha setting changes how older keyed textures are handled.

If a rendered shadow map acquires color, export it, convert it to grayscale in an image editor, and import it again.

Shadows

Dillo Too can render object shadows, but perimeter tiles are repeated. Shadows baked into a repeated perimeter texture repeat as well. Only objects belonging to the chosen source perimeter tile should cast onto that texture.

Some newer graphics systems produced an all-black terrain during shadow generation. A period workaround reported in a personal message was to switch the Windows desktop temporarily to 16-bit color before starting Dillo Too. Use that only in an isolated legacy environment and on a copied project.

MXU resource compatibility

The early 0.97 beta 2 could not start with the optional modified MODELS.res. Public 0.97 and later added support, and forum testing confirms users no longer needed to restore the stock file before opening Dillo Too. See MXU resource packs.

Common failures

  • Missing D3DX8D.DLL: obtain the matching DirectX 8 support DLL from a preserved Dillo Too/Sik Trix package and keep it beside the application when appropriate.
  • No usable display modes: the tool enumerates 16-bit modes on the system's default adapter. Old multi-adapter systems could select the wrong device. Historical defaults were 640×480, stored under HKLM\Software\Strawberry\DilloToo\Options; registry editing should be a last resort.
  • Menus or controls clipped: check Windows DPI/font scaling and use a period display mode.
  • Access violation while saving/packing: return to a copy, enable logging, confirm every referenced file exists, and isolate the most recent scene/resource change.
  • Old ENV will not open: try the prior Dillo Too release on a copy, then migrate changes carefully. Do not repeatedly save a file that only one version can partially read.

Sources